Sage and Lifebringer
by sprickle
Summary: On Percy's first flight to camp, a stray lightning bolt does far more than wreck Gabe's precious car. It vaporizes Sally Jackson. Annabeth is fed up with the cruelty of the gods, and decides to take action. Short story, about 15K words.
1. Overture

First submission, woohoo

this short story was mostly just for fun. I hashed it out in about a day and a half after imagining how easily the Riordanverse could be metagamed with outsider knowledge. The fact that the Titan Iapetus was so easily brought down by a little memory magic shows just how much stronger mind magic is than the other kinds (not that the other kinds aren't fun too). Although he regains his memory later, the fact that he was deposed by it at all just blows my mind. Why didn't they just splash some of that sweet sweet Lethe on every other enemy? To make the story a little more fun I didn't have Annabeth do that to literally all of the gods, but honestly how hard would it really be, especially with equipment like the Helm of Darkness?

Also, re-reading the series as an adult made me realize that the gods really are dicks, and kind of don't deserve to rule for any reason besides the fact that they're the strongest entities on earth. Doesn't really mean Kronos was the better option, but it doesn't have to be a binary choice.

So, I thought I'd write a little short where our heroes do something about that :)

* * *

Annabeth scowled as she glared over the nearly-lifeless form before her, recovering from a recent encounter with a minotaur. _The _Minotaur. Who was this boy, that he could single-handedly defeat such a foe without so much as knowing who he really was?

Grover explained the situation earlier as best as he was able to in his shaken state. Another victim caught up in another foolish conflict between the masters of their world. The poor kid's mother was incinerated instantly by a lightning bolt meant for him. And they were so close to camp, too… although, that may be precisely _why _Zeus chose that moment to act. The sky and the sea have been quaking violently since that time. Inevitably, the mortals will suffer from this skirmish as well, a death toll the likes of which hasn't been seen in decades, since the _last_ conflict between the gods.

More and more, Annabeth couldn't help but relate to the bitter remarks Luke passed to her in private. Why should the gods deserve any respect? What do they really contribute to the world? The only reason that they have the respect they do is because of the power they wield. Humanity had no say in how that power was divided up, and more often than not, it's humanity that ends up on the receiving end of that power, and not exactly in the form of blessings. She sighed and tipped more Nectar into the injured boy's mouth.

* * *

Annabeth stirred awake as she sensed movement from her patient. His eyes flickered open, and he bolted upright.

"Mom!" he yelled.

She put a firm hand on his shoulder. "Whoa there, tough guy. Take it slow. Here, eat this, it'll help you feel better." She extended an ambrosia square to the boy, but he was already falling back into unconsciousness. She sighed.

She heard clopping behind her and gave a greeting to Chiron, the camp activities director.

"Ho, Annabeth. You have my thanks for your vigil, but you may go now. I shall watch him myself for a time."

She stood and stretched, her back popping satisfyingly. She put her hands on her hips and stared Chiron right in the eyes. "He's the one, isn't he? The one the Oracle told me about?"

"I… do not confess to know."

"And if you did, you wouldn't be at liberty to say, would you?"

Chiron didn't respond.

Annabeth shrugged. "I'm just saying, no child of Aphrodite would've survived that encounter, not with raw strength anyway."

Chiron smiled with a twinkle in his eye. "Even strength must bow to wisdom sometimes, no?"

Annabeth gave a light laugh. "He's no brother of mine. He's missing the gray eyes part of the 'gray-eyed-one'. Besides, I've never seen a child of Athena drool in their sleep."

Chiron nodded solemnly.

Annabeth headed for the door, pausing for a moment. She turned to look at Chiron. "His mother. Is she…"

Chiron wouldn't meet her eyes. "Yes. I'm afraid so."

Annabeth felt a stab of sympathy before trudging off to her cabin, her emotions stewing beneath stormy gray eyes.

* * *

After giving the boy, Percy, a full tour of camp, she still couldn't quite put her finger on his parental identity. He had an incredible knack for sarcastic comments he probably thought were witty, but she didn't peg him as very Apollo-like. Despite his humorous remarks, he actually came across as pretty reserved. Then again, she could hardly blame him given his circumstances.

She was just wrapping up the tour at the camp communal bathrooms. She rolled her eyes as he asked which god they were for. As if on cue, Clarisse and her goons emerged from behind, eyes glinting with mirth and violence.

Percy muttered, "I guess they heard my prayers after all."

Annabeth stepped in front of him. "Clarisse, no. Leave him be. She whispered to the massive daughter of Ares, "C'mon, Clarisse, he just lost his mom."

Percy pushed her aside and said, "Annabeth, thanks, but it's fine. I can handle this."

He took a fighting stance and Clarisse shrugged. She immediately picked him up by his shirt and started dragging him off to the bathrooms.

Annabeth sighed and waited for the situation to solve itself. To her surprise, Clarisse's gang soon found themselves washed away in a torrent of toilet water. She peered inside the bathroom to find Percy completely dry.

He shrugged and said, "Maybe the toilet god is my father after all."

She scoffed, but inwardly she was astounded by his performance. Assuming, of course, that it was his doing. Such control over the plumbing- she shook her head. His stupidity was contagious. Such control over water pretty heavily narrowed the possibilities.

She approached him and gave him a hand up, careful not to slip on the still-wet floor.

He smiled and said, "Thanks."

She followed with a non-sequitur. "Percy, how did your parents meet?"

His smile vanished instantly, but he responded. "They met on the beach at Montauk. Mom never said, but I know that's why she liked visiting. She stayed with him 'til he got lost at sea, but she was pretty religious about visiting that place during the summers." His voice cracked a bit. "Guess… not anymore."

Annabeth stood there a bit awkwardly, pretending not to notice him wipe a tear away. Finally, she said, "Your father isn't lost at sea."

This seemed to confuse him out of his sadness, before giving way to skepticism. "Oh, sure, he's partying it up with the greek gods, right?"

She sighed. This talk again. "Percy, your father _is_ one of the greek gods."

He spoke, "But-"

She raised an open palm. "Save it. I've had this talk a dozen times before. Let me guess, you moved around a lot? Caused mayhem at every school you visited? Dyslexia, probably ADHD?"

Percy stared at her in awe but nodded.

She returned the nod. "You're in the right company. We've all got the same story. The ADHD is your natural battle instincts, the dyslexia is your brain hard-wired for ancient greek. We're demigods, or half-bloods if you prefer. We draw trouble by nature."

Percy drank this in, before asking, "Why?"

That stumped her. "What?"

His eyes were almost pleading now. "Why do we draw trouble? I didn't do anything to get a giant bull-man chasing me!" He paused. "Did I?"

Annabeth looked at him, this clueless kid sucked into a world beyond his understanding. Already shaped by tragedy. Pretty typical for a greek hero, actually. "No, you didn't do anything, Percy. That's just… how the gods are, sometimes, whether we like it or not."

Percy's eyes glinted with anger, but he didn't respond immediately. Finally, he said, "So, who's your father?"

A jolt ran through her body. She looked away quickly. "He's, uh, a professor, at West Point…"

"Oh, okay. So uh, your…?"

"My mother is Athena, goddess of Wisdom and Battle Strategy. I've only seen her once, for my 12th birthday. She gave me this." She pulled out her old Yankees cap, and her body disappeared when she put it on.

"Whoa!" Percy's eyes were filled with wonder, and he was smiling again. She couldn't help but smile too, glad that it couldn't be seen. She took it back off.

"That was amazing! So, do I get a cool magic item like that too?"

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe when you meet your father."

Percy's hands balled and he looked away. "Right…"

Whoops. Nice going, Annabeth.

He looked back at her. "That lightning bolt… was that…"

"Was it Zeus?" She exhaled roughly when he nodded. "Yes. Without a doubt. Even he wouldn't target you at camp, so for whatever reason he felt the need to… eliminate you… I guess he thought that was his only chance."

Percy's nostrils flared. "I guess my mother's life wasn't important to him?"

Annabeth shuddered at his anger. It sounded like Luke.

"The gods… can have a hard time giving mortal lives the same weight as we do. When you live for eons, they all run together…"

"Why target me at all, Zeus?!" he yelled.

The sky rumbled a bit and Annabeth glanced around nervously. "Careful of invoking names. It gives them awareness."

Percy was breathing heavily. Annabeth sighed, awkwardly putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. It seemed to calm him some. "Let's get out of this bathroom."

* * *

They more or less dropped the conversation, so Annabeth showed Percy to his bunk with the Hermes kids, leaving him in the care of Luke. Luke smiled at her and she felt her cheeks run hot, so she kept the conversation short, booking it to archery practice.

At dinner Percy was getting along famously with her old friend. Malcolm seemed to notice her wandering eye and poked fun at her but she was hardly listening to him. Luke seemed more than willing to listen to Percy vent his anger, and though it looked like the discussion was spoken with a hush she could see the Hermes kids' attitudes were divided over it. Some of them seemed nervous or concerned, but just as many seemed sympathetic, or even angry themselves.

Annabeth went back to prodding her uneaten brisket.

Capture the flag went just as planned. Percy was the perfect bait for Clarisse, but she was amazed to see him single handedly take on her squadron and win. Luke sailed across the creek with the enemy flag, ending the game, but her eyes hadn't left Percy. She removed her hat, shimmering into view before him.

His jaw dropped. "Were you… were you there the _WHOLE TIME?_"

She smiled mischievously. "I was just keeping an eye on the fresh meat. Not that you needed it, apparently."

He glanced at the groaning bodies all around him. " I don't know how…"

She interrupted. "I do. Step out of the creek." He did so, almost immediately slumping under the weight of his weapons and armor. She pushed him back in, and his vitality returned.

The other campers had gathered around to see the commotion. Above Percy's head glowed a vibrant green trident. Annabeth smiled. _I knew it._

* * *

Annabeth lurked at Cabin Three's door as Percy moved into his new home. He looked glum. "Alone again, huh?" he muttered.

She shrugged, leaning in the doorway. "Makes you unique, too."

He dropped what little he had on a bunk and flopped down on another. "I don't want to be unique. I wanted to feel normal!"

"You were never going to have that, not with your heritage."

"Yeah, well, 'my heritage' wasn't exactly at the top of my Christmas list. I don't want it."

"It's not something you can give back."

Percy laid there in silence, before replying, "Shouldn't you be in a class or something?"

Her cheeks went a little red, but she realized he probably didn't mean it as an insult.

She injected blatantly fake positivity into her voice. "I just wanted to spend time with my new chum, Percy Jackson, Camp Half-Blood's resident coolguy."

That got a chuckle out of him.

"I'm a counselor, so I'm sort of above the law. Speaking of which, so are you, Counselor Jackson."

He draped the silk sheets around himself like a robe. "Please, call me Sir Counselor Perseus, if you would." He gave a magnanimous bow. She entered the cabin and draped herself a robe of her own before returning the bow.

"Madame Counselor Chase, Regent of Athena, how do you do."

They both laughed before she realized Chiron was at the door and Annabeth died inside. She dropped the sheets. "Oh, Chiron! I was, uh, helping Percy move in."

He looked between them for a moment before shaking his head. "Percy, I would like for you to meet someone."

Percy replied, "Who?"

"Someone who can give insight to your situation."

They both left, leaving Annabeth alone in the faux sea-breeze of Cabin Three.

* * *

Annabeth lurked outside the Big House in the trees, waiting for Percy to finish his audience with the Oracle. She'd already been waiting for what felt like half an hour, but he still hadn't returned. Perhaps he died of fright.

She heard rustling behind her and promptly died of fright. The oracle stood before her, despite the fact that she was definitely invisible.

_Annabeth Chase_, a voice hissed. "Y-yes?" Normally, the Oracle didn't name people, it spoke in riddles…

_There is no fate for me to ordain to you. I speak outside of the influence of Apollo, with the last of my mortal strength. You already know the path you must take, if you ever hope to change this world for the better. Humanity is in your hands. I have seen it._

The mummy collapsed before her.

* * *

She was still shivering as Percy finally emerged from the Big House, shrugging when Chiron started asking questions. Finally, she decided to head back to her cabin. The other Athena kids would be canoeing right now, so she had some alone time to mull the words over. Not that there was much to mull. It very much seemed that fate itself was telling her that the idle thoughts she'd been having were on the right track. It was time to act.

She sat down on her bunk and looked around the Athena Cabin. Armor gleamed on the walls, tables with warmaps and small construction projects were strewn about haphazardly. This was her home, without question. But it couldn't be for much longer. It was against camp rules to leave without a quest. This was mostly for the safety of the kids at camp, as the last thing they needed was monsters following their every move. But another part of her understood that it was also just another means of the gods controlling their pet heroes. She wiped away a tear and began packing.

* * *

She doubted that she could sway Grover to leave with her, as he was desperate to earn a license to search for Pan. She'd told him time and time again that he needed no such license, and that if it's important to him, he should just search anyways, but he wouldn't hear it. He was too afraid of defying the Council of Cloven Elders, and more importantly, Dionysus. Not that Mr. D would care whatsoever, but it mattered to Grover.

She approached Luke, practicing his swordplay in the arena. When she cleared her throat loudly, he turned to greet her. "Hey Annabeth."

She replied, "Hey yourself," but it came out as a squeak and she coughed harshly to clear her throat. Straight to business. "Luke, I'm leaving camp."

He frowned. "Without a quest?"

"Yes."

"I don't really understand."

"Luke, I know how you really feel about… the state of things." She glanced around with some paranoia but there was no noticeable increase in rumbling.

She continued. "The gods are about to go to war. Again. The Oracle is unwilling to provide a quest, but without our intervention, millions will die."

He stared at her.

She ignored the increase in her heartbeats. "There's only a few things that could tick… uh, Big Z off like that, and I intend to find out what. Then, I intend to stop it, whatever it takes."

Luke scratched his head with the hilt of his sword. He replied, "I know why he's mad. His Master Bolt has been taken."

Annabeth nodded, unsurprised. Still… "How do you know all this?"

Luke grinned mischievously. "I have my sources."

Suspicious, but she didn't press it. "Will you come with me? I could use the assistance. It'd be like old times."

He shook his head, eyes on the ground. "I, uh, have a prior obligation I need to see to. I wish you luck in your endeavours, though."

She tried to hide her crushing disappointment, with moderate success.

Her first two picks for companions wouldn't help. That just left Seaweed Brain.

* * *

Percy was more than willing to accompany her. After his attempted meeting with the Oracle, Chiron had outfitted him with a weapon of his own, Riptide. Percy had a very personal interest in going to the Underworld, which was unsurprising to Annabeth, all things considered. Luke seemed to think that Hades was the one who conspired to take the Bolt, and it made sense, as he'd always been bitter about his treatment by the other gods. Percy even managed to sway Grover into going to demonstrate his ability as Percy's "protector", although he was extremely nervous about the entire idea.

That night, the three of them snuck past the Harpy patrols, only to encounter Mr. D almost immediately. He seemed more bored than angry, but he did manage to come across as irritated. "And just where do my favorite three campers think they're going? Did you really think I wouldn't notice you leave this cursed camp without my say?"

Percy's brow was knitted with anger and Grover looked like he was about to cry.

Annabeth steeled herself, and said, "Mr. D, you know that if we don't do _something_, this war will tear the world apart. Maybe you don't care, but it matters to us, and we _have_ to act."

Not her most compelling argument, but he didn't seem to need much convincing. "Maybe if I'm lucky all three of you will die. Good luck, then." He popped into mist, leaving the scent of grapes behind him.

Grover seemed permanently paralyzed in shock.

Percy punched her shoulder lightly. "Not bad, Wise Girl."

She rolled her eyes. "Let's just keep moving."

* * *

Almost immediately after boarding a Greyhound to Los Angeles, three haggard old ladies boarded and caused Percy to squirm in his seat. "What is it?"

Grover was shuddering too. "All three Kindly Ones. All at once. I knew this was a bad idea."

She thought quickly. "Percy, they're here for you. Take my invisibility cap and we'll meet up later."

"Where?"

But she'd already put the hat on him and shoved him away.

The Kindly Ones strode up to her and grinned wickedly. The center fury asked, "Where is it? Where?"

She gave Grover a confused look from across the aisle. "Where is what?"

"Do not play games, girl."

"Do you mean the Bolt?"

"No, fool! Our Lord's symbol of power!" The Helm of Darkness was missing too?

She quickly said, "I swear on the River Styx that we did not steal the Helm, nor is it in our possession." The ground rumbled ominously, and the furies looked at each other in confusion.

"Did you steal the Bolt?"

"I swear on the River Styx that we did not steal the Bolt, nor is it currently in our possession." The ground rumbled ominously once more, although it sounded a little irritated this time, as if unhappy it was being used as a lie detector. The furies slapped their foreheads in unison.

The fury on the left said, "Come with us, demigods. Lord Hades will still want to speak to you, personally." She bared her teeth with glee. Annabeth's brow furrowed angrily. She had no love for the Lord of the Dead, nor the furies, considering they murdered her best friend on Hades' orders, but it was a bad idea to ignore the orders of a god. She tried not to feel too bitter about that last part.

"Percy, come on out if you're still here. He shimmered into view, to the surprise of the furies.

"Mrs. Dodds, you're looking well. How's your shoulder?"

She hissed angrily.

Annabeth smirked and said, "Percy, don't antagonize the nice monsters. They're only trying to help."

Grover grabbed her arm and asked, "Can we talk for a sec?" He seemed a bit manic.

She leaned in and he said, "This is crazy! We don't even have what they want, why should we go with them? Who's to say they don't just take us straight to the Fields of Punishment?"

"Relax goat boy. Athena always has a plan."

* * *

A shadow travel later and they stood in the Palace of Hades himself. The Lord of the Dead was as obstinate as his brothers, but he lapped up flattery like no other god she'd seen. It didn't take much to get on his good side, although he was still gruff and unfriendly, especially to Percy. Unfortunately, he was quick to deny Percy's pleas to rescue his mother, although he actually seemed somewhat sympathetic to the fact that Zeus had killed her. She was sure that he'd gone through similar experiences given how long he and Zeus have bickered.

"Even I cannot violate the laws of nature in such a way. Death must remain permanent, even when it is unjust."

Percy wasn't done yet, though. "Who wrote these 'laws of nature', anyways? If it's not your call, who's is it?"

Hades smiled with morbid amusement, his eyes flickering with malice. "They are the very rules that bind us as gods. We agreed to them and were bound when we began our reign, to limit our involvement with the mortal world, and ensure we did not overstep our roles."

So, their, uh, 'irresponsible' behavior wasn't voluntary, it was a part of their very nature. Annabeth wasn't sure which was worse, being capable of doing good and willingly choosing not to, or being literally incapable of changing for the good of… well, anything.

She cut Percy off, giving him a look that she hoped conveyed, "Later." She said, "Lord Hades, if I may. There's only one god I can think of that would want a war between the others. One god who, well, loves war."

Hades growled. "Ares! But even he must have had mortal help…"

Percy whispered, "Why?"

Annabeth replied, but to everyone. "Because as Hades just established, there are some things even the gods can't do. Stealing each other's symbols of power is one of them. Only heroes can challenge gods in such a way. Which leads me to my next point…"

Hades seemed to connect the dots. "You believe that I need your help?"

Annabeth corrected, "I believe that our help wouldn't hurt you, your Lordship. We can find your thief for you, in exchange for free passage through the Underworld."

"I'm not entirely comfortable giving you passage in and out of my domain at will."

"Feel free to send the furies to monitor us, if it eases your conscience."

Both Percy and Grover looked confused at that, but she had other things on her mind.

Hades thought for a moment. "Swear to me that you will recover my Helm of Darkness, and I will agree."

Annabeth took a deep breath and said, "I swear on the River Styx that we will do our best to recover your Helm." The ground rumbled once more.

* * *

Before they left the underworld for good, Annabeth insisted they make a few pit stops. First, to the River Lethe. She wasn't sure what the furies were thinking, if they really were watching. Perhaps they were bemused.

Grover prodded her in the ribs and said, "Annabeth, what are you planning? The River Lethe is dangerous… Maybe even the most dangerous river in the Underworld…"

She replied, "They say even a single drop can erase the mind of any being."

Grover nodded. "Even the immortals…"

Annabeth said, "They say it isn't permanent for immortal beings."

Percy cut in. "Wait, you're not getting in, are you?"

She resisted the urge to facepalm. "No, Seaweed Brain. It's not for us. It's a weapon mightier than even the Master Bolt. A weapon of subtlety."

Grover said, "This is wrong."

Annabeth sighed. "Grover, we haven't actually done anything yet. It's just in case."

Grover whispered, "It still feels wrong."

She ignored him. Now, how to collect the water without touching any herself? She tied some string to a bottle and was about to lay it in the water when Percy bumped her, shaking his head. "The string is going to soak up the water. You'll get touched."

She didn't even think of that. Foolish. "Thanks Percy. Maybe you're not as dim-witted as you seem."

"Hey!"

"Does anyone else have any bright ideas?" she said.

Percy replied, "The plumbing and the creek listened to my will. Maybe…"

He grabbed the bottle from her hand and approached the river. He willed the water into the bottle… but ended up splashing it all over himself. Annabeth and Grover leaped back out of fear. Percy glanced back at them, a wide look in his eye.

"Who… am I?" he said.

"Oh no," Grover moaned.

Then he cracked a grin. "I'm just kidding. Look, I'm perfectly dry!" he gripped his clothes and held up the filled bottle.

Annabeth breathed a sigh of relief, before pulling more bottles from her bag and grinning.

* * *

They came upon the River Styx next. Grover immediately complained. "Annabeth, no! Don't tell me you're thinking of-"

"We have to, if we want to stand a chance against you-know-who."

He bleated and crossed his arms, but he relented. "I hope you know what you're getting into."

Percy looked at her quizzically. She already knew what he was going to ask. "Percy, are you familiar with the story of Achilles?"

"I think so... who dies to an arrow in the heel?"

"His heel is the _only_ place that an arrow could hit him. His mother held his heel as a child while she dipped him in the Styx. It made him invincible."

"Nearly," Grover muttered.

"Yeah," she agreed.

"Sooooo, what? You're going to hold my heel and dip me in?" Percy asked.

"Of course not. That wasn't the part that mattered. What mattered was his anchor. His mother. We have to remember what anchors us to life… what drives us. Otherwise, it'll destroy you."

"I'm… I'm not sure I'm ready."

Annabeth was afraid of that, but she nodded. "It's a risk, for sure. You could lose everything."

Percy's eyes hardened. "I've already lost everything." He walked towards the river. "But maybe not forever." He stepped in, before tripping and plunging headfirst.

Seconds later he crawled out of the banks, his skin steaming. Literally _steaming,_ as if it nearly boiled off of him. He was breathing heavily. She and Grover each grabbed an arm, hauling him out.

"Perrrrcy!" Grover bleated. "Are you okay? How do you feel?"

Percy laid on his back, wincing slightly. He huffed a few more times, and wheezed out, "I'm fine. I feel…" His stomach rumbled. "Hungry," he finished.

Annabeth and Grover laughed, easing some of the tension.

"What did you see?" Annabeth asked.

Percy blushed a bit. "Well, at first, I saw you and Grover. I saw some of my other friends at camp, but it was my mom that pulled me out of the river."

Grover wrapped his arms around Percy. "I'm glad you're okay."

Before her conviction failed her, Annabeth stood from her knees, and approached the river. She focused on a single point, around her upper right ribcage. Before either of the other two could say a word, she dove in.

The water felt more like fire than anything. She could feel it burning away more than just her body. It was washing away the _idea_ of Annabeth. She saw flashes of her life, everything that she had- and _hadn't_\- accomplished. She saw her mother, her father, Percy, Grover. She even saw Luke, but none of them were anchoring her to this world. She felt her spirit failing… A hand plunged in toward her. Another hand. Dozens and dozens of warm, welcoming hands reached out, offering her support, of all different races, roughness, sizes, gender. A strength filled her. She realized that what she sought to protect was more than an individual. It was the idea of humanity itself.

The hands gave her support as she emerged from the river, but when she left the water, she saw that it was actually Percy's hands, his eyes wide with concern. Grover's eyes were red.

"What's wrong?" she huffed through the pain of her throbbing skin.

"Annabeth, you were in there for nearly a minute. We thought you'd been washed away. What did you see?"

She winced with some pain, but she smiled. "Our future."

* * *

They stopped off at the forges of the underworld next. There were rows upon rows of weapons and arms, all midnight black.

Percy asked her, "What are we doing here? We all already have weapons."

Annabeth nodded, but said, "Not like this. Stygian Iron is a unique material. Celestial Bronze is capable of harming monsters, yes. When they die, their essence returns to Tartarus naturally. Stygian Iron absorbs their essence directly, serving as a channel straight to Tartarus. Not only that, but… it works on anything."

"Even mortals?" Grover asked, with some unease.

Annabeth gripped her chin, giving her best thinker pose. "Hmm. I suppose it does. But it works on more than mortals."

Percy finished her thought. "It works on… gods?"

She nodded.

Grover's lip was quivering. "Won't, uh, 'this place's master' take issue if we take from him?"

Annabeth smirked. "Not if it's from the scrap pile."

* * *

Charon very reluctantly gave them a ride across the Acheron, and upon returning to the land of the living, they had to decide how to track down Ares. He'd never been cunning, even in the myths, and was quick to rise to provocation. It might actually be as simple as invoking his name. They waited around by the beach at Santa Monica, de-stressing from their adventure thus far. When they were ready, Annabeth invoked Ares' name.

"So, God of War, huh Ares? Pretty obvious that the domain Wisdom was already taken, because this war was a pretty stupid move on your part."

Ares flamed into existence before her.

She continued. "How were you expecting this to end, Ares? The truth would've come out eventually. Subtlety was never your domain either. The others would've figured it out soon enough. Even you couldn't stand up to the wrath of the Big Three."

He grinned wickedly behind his stupid sunglasses, a fire raging beneath them. "It would be quite the slugfest, wouldn't it?"

Annabeth scoffed. "Maybe they'd demote you into a measly mortal. Or better yet, turn you into a newt."

Percy asked, "They can do that even to other gods?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Supposedly."

Ares looked between the two of them, before drawing the shotgun strapped to his back. "So, kids, sounds like I'm about to be challenged. You want to do this modern style, or classic style?"

Percy glanced at Annabeth. "Lately, I've been hearing really good things about this other style, what did you call it?"

Annabeth smiled. "Subtle style."

Ares looked at them confusedly, before his face slackened. An invisible Grover shimmered back into view as he removed the Yankees cap, dropping an empty bottle like it was radioactive. His face went from horrified to exhilarated to horrified. "I can't believe I just did that… I can't believe _I_ just did that!"

"So much for needing the curse of Achilles," Annabeth grumbled.

Ares looked at them blankly. "Who… am I?"

Percy replied, "You're my friend, Bob."

* * *

After recovering the Helm and the Bolt, they told "Bob" to go check in to the Lotus Hotel and Casino for some rest and relaxation. This was a very special location Annabeth's mother had warned her about. Who knew it'd come in handy later? With any luck, it would keep Ares occupied for more than just a few years. They were all a little concerned about destabilizing the Olympian council, but the fact that it was Ares that was removed might honestly mean that they _increased_ its stability. A god that thrives on the hateful and uncontrolled aspects of warfare was certainly one the world didn't need. Then again… they all seemed that way sometimes. Even… _mother._ Annabeth shuddered.

"We don't have much time until the deadline… uh, Big Z gave the thief to return the Bolt," Grover said. "So, now what?"

"We stop the war between the gods," Annabeth replied.

One 600th floor of the Empire State Building later, and the trio stood in Olympus. Annabeth was blown away by the city. She'd always wanted to see it, and she was sad it wasn't under better circumstances. As they entered the silver and gold palace of the gods, she saw that only Zeus was present. Even Poseidon was unwilling to come to this meeting. From what she'd heard, he was stewing over the murder of Sally Jackson.

Zeus' face was smoldering with anger, but he welcomed them to Olympus. Grover and Annabeth both bowed upon entry, but Percy just stared at the ground.

"Perseus, you would do wise to cease your insolence and join your friends."

"Did you really kill my mother?"

Zeus exhaled sharply. "Yes, an action that I heavily regret."

Percy stared up at him. "But you were targeting me."

"I perceived you as a threat at the time, and I still do, but I see that you have some use," Zeus rumbled.

Percy's voice had just a tinge of anger. "Is that really how you see us? Tools, to be used one way or another, only to be discarded?"

"Do you presume to criticize me, Perseus? Or should I strike you down this instant?" But his speech was in vain. Percy had already moved a single drop of the Lethe along the floor, unbeknownst to Zeus. By the time he finished his last sentence, he already began to forget who he was. He shrank from his giant form and fell to his knees before them, looking around at them confusedly. "What…? Who are you? Who am I?"

Annabeth recited the lines she rehearsed in her head, while Grover peered through the hands covering his eyes, and Percy stared on in anger.

"I'm Annabeth, your friend. Your name is Jim. You were just about to grant the three of us godhood."


	2. Crescendo

Annabeth stretched her fingers with amazement. A soft glow seemed to radiate from her entire body, but she could dim it if she so desired. For now, she left it be. She and Percy were about to set sail for the Sea of Monsters, so that they could track down Circe, the mythic sorceress from Homer's Odyssey. Even with immortality, Grover had his doubts about going.

Before they set off, however, he spoke with a surprising amount of authority in his voice. "Annabeth, I wanted to apologize."

"For what?"

"For letting my cowardice get the better of me. You were right. Pan or no Pan, the rest of the gods failed to protect the earth's natural bounty from human ignorance. I- we- the Satyrs, I mean… we're kept in line out of servitude, out of fear, but… I can see that it doesn't have to be that way. I believe in your vision, Annabeth. Let's make this world something worth living in."

She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye as Percy caught him in a hug. Percy said, "You're gonna do great G-Man." Grover nodded. He'd already filled them in on his plans to earn Satyrs their independence, and to aid in the search for Pan, but if necessary, fill in for him.

By now, they'd incurred the wrath of the gods, who would be searching tirelessly for them now. A lowly Satyr wouldn't attract much attention, and he wasn't yet powerful enough for them to even notice his divine nature. Percy and Annabeth would not be so lucky, and their notoriety would be legendary. A certain special Helm kept them hidden so long as they were somewhat near it, and Annabeth noted with some satisfaction that they'd only promised to recover it, not return it. Mission accomplished.

As for the Bolt, it was designed so that only Zeus could wield it. This just meant that the bolt would be destroyed in the process if someone else were to use it, but you didn't need to be a daughter of Athena to see how that one use could come in handy someday.

* * *

Circe was visibly displeased with Percy's presence on her island, but they managed to talk her into training Annabeth in the ways of sorcery so long as he stayed away from her resort. The fact that their presence masked her island from the view of the gods didn't hurt.

Her servants Hylla and Reyna were divinely gifted in the ways of battle and warfare, despite never seeing a fight a day in their life, and Circe reluctantly allowed Percy to train with the two of them in the arts of physical combat and tactics. As Annabeth and Percy were now godly, they had no need of sustenance or even sleep, and trained for long hours, sometimes days at a time, to sharpen their skills and prepare for the inevitable. A war on Olympus itself.

* * *

A few years on Circe's island flew by, and though Annabeth and Percy grew attached to their new companions, neither of them lost sight of their goal. Annabeth was now a master of several branches of sorcery. She had mastered the mist and had perfect control over mortal perception. She could even fool the mystical if she put in the effort. She could evoke columns of flame, ice, and storms, materialize blades from the air, warp space, and bring life to stone or steel. She did not neglect her training with the blade, either, frequently joining Percy in his combat sessions.

As for her godly abilities, she explained to Percy that neither of them had much in the way of mortal fame. The gods were heavily focused on them, and their old friends would be too, but they had no myths or legends to fuel their status. As such, they still didn't really have a particular domain, but they could still enter a divine form, deadly to look at. They could shape their bodies to appear however they chose, and they could warp near-instantaneously just as the divines do when they vanish from view. It goes without saying that between their godly ability of restoration and the Curse of Achilles, they were virtually unkillable.

Percy, for his part, shared the same level of proficiency with his divine power. It even seemed to have bolstered his abilities over water, which Poseidon seemed unable to revoke. He felt a stab of guilt about knowingly preparing for war against his father, a feeling that Annabeth shared. As unfair, cruel, and irresponsible as the gods could be, she felt a bit ashamed to be plotting against them. Just more conditioning that she would need to break free of.

Percy had absolutely mastered use of Riptide, and was now proficient in other weaponry, such as spears, glaives, dual swords, throwing weapons, and even firearms. Although Circe refused to train him, Annabeth demonstrated what she could to him, and he could competently manipulate the mist, as well as utilize a few water and storm spells that complemented his abilities.

During a scrying session, she saw that Luke's new ship, the Princess Andromeda, was passing through the Sea of Monsters. She and Percy agreed to go out and investigate. Between the Helm of Darkness and Annabeth's Yankees cap, they both were easily capable of becoming invisible. Annabeth could've done it with the Mist, but that would've just been excessive.

They held hands to make sure they didn't lose track of one another (and no other reason), and Annabeth felt sickened by what she saw. The ship was full of brainwashed mortal civilians, hypnotized for some unknown purpose. At the top of the ship, Luke sat next to a painfully gold sarcophagus.

In unspoken agreement, they materialized before him. His eyes went wide as his two old friends appeared.

"Luke, what are you doing here?" Annabeth asked in a stern voice.

"Annabeth!" He seemed relieved, but confused. "Um, what are _you_ doing here?"

"Training to overthrow Olympus. How about you?" Percy replied, smoothly.

Luke swallowed visibly. The Helm was probably affecting his mood a bit. "I'm here for the same reason!" he replied unconvincingly.

"What's in the coffin?" Annabeth asked.

"Our salvation," Luke answered.

Annabeth glanced at Percy, before looking back. "Are you sure about that?"

Luke grinned. "As sure about anything as I've ever been."

"So what is it?" she insisted.

He looked back and forth as though someone might hear. "My Lord, Kronos." The air seemed to grow colder, and Annabeth swore she heard dark laughter echoing in her ear.

"Um, what?"

"This sarcophagus summons a piece of him from Tartarus every time swears their allegiance to him."

Annabeth scowled. "Luke, Kronos is the Lord of the Titans. He's literally called _the crooked one_. The rule of the Titans was even more cruel and brutal than the rule of the gods. What do you think you're fixing by helping him?"

He frowned nervously. "I'm not strong enough to take on Olympus myself."

"No, you aren't," Percy muttered, but Annabeth shushed him.

"Why are you in the Sea of Monsters?" she asked.

"I didn't trust those idiots at Camp Half-Blood to successfully recover the Golden Fleece, so I came here myself."

"Why would the Camp send a quest here?"

"Thalia's tree was poisoned, and they want it healed before the poison destroys the valley."

Percy and Annabeth both stared at him in shock. "What? Who would poison her tree?" Percy asked.

"I did," Luke slipped out, surprising even himself. An effect of the Helm?

"So your plan was to poison your best friend's spirit, have the camp send a group to recover the cure, and then bring it them yourself?" Annabeth asked, baffled.

"No, no, I… The Fleece would restore Kronos at a speed tenfold what it was before."

"Then why not just recover it yourself without poisoning the tree?" Percy asked.

"Because Camp Half-Blood may have interfered."

"Wouldn't poisoning the tree guarantee their interference?" Annabeth asked.

Sweat beaded on Luke's forehead. "Look, we're on the same side here. Olympus needs to go. They don't care about their pet heroes."

Percy nodded. "No, they don't care about their demigod children. But they don't care about what happens to the mortals either, and neither do you apparently."

Annabeth concluded, "In that case, we are _not_ on the same side."

Percy pulled a Stygian Iron longsword out from a holster on his back and Luke cringed, but he plunged it into the sarcophagus instead, sending what remnants of Kronos had returned straight back to Tartarus.

Annabeth laid a hand on Luke's cheek and Percy was suddenly very interested in looking somewhere else. Annabeth said, "Go home, Luke. Return to camp. Rally the troops. Show them that change is possible, that we can achieve it. But don't forget about why we fight." He nodded.

Percy briefly vanished, no doubt rapidly searching the Sea of Monsters for the prize the Camp sought, before returning with the Fleece in hand. Percy attempted smiling at him. "This ought to make a nice welcoming gift." Percy even managed to bring the confused questers aboard. Annabeth gave a hello to a bewildered Clarisse, some Apollo kids, and a satyr friend of Grover's.

Luke looked at them, bemused, and they bid him farewell, returning to Circe's Island. "What's next, Wise Girl?" Percy asked. "We've been training for ages."

She couldn't help but agree. Lethe-ing every immortal that crossed their path probably wouldn't work anymore, as after two gods down surely at least her mother would have cracked the code. They'd likely begin shielding their bodies from the liquid, or outright warding against its presence at all. Her mother always liked to say that even strength had to bow to wisdom sometimes… but sometimes, even wisdom can't stand against enough brute force.

* * *

They bid their companions on Circe's Island farewell, and Percy "persuaded" a disgruntled Circe to release the men she had transformed into guinea pigs, as well as swearing on the Styx to stop transforming people into animals without consulting them first. Annabeth was still a little unsure about what the actual consequences of breaking such an oath would have, though she heard it was usually an ironic twist, like Circe becoming a guinea pig herself or something.

As they traveled among the mortal world, they performed small miracles to grow their influence. They hunted the foulest and most powerful creatures, collecting their spoils to bolster themselves. Percy tore the Nemean Lion in half with his bare hands, and now that he wore its pelt, the Achilles heel on the small of his back was untouchable. He was immune to conventional weaponry.

Annabeth personally beheaded Medusa, whose gaze they were now immune to, owing to their immortality. She really was ugly. Her head may or may not come in handy, since they only intended to fight other immortals, but keeping that wench dead a while longer wouldn't hurt anyone.

They found and investigated the Labyrinth of Daedalus personally, finding his workshop and many of his projects after weeks of irritating navigation. He and his faithful companion Mrs. O'Leary arrived not too much later, notified by his magical connection to the place. He was sympathetic to their goals, although Annabeth noted with some disappointment that he wouldn't be joining the march on Olympus. However, he did provide her with a number of useful insights and ideas as to what he would do if _he_ were to march on Olympus, which counted for something.

Even they had to work in careful coordination to defeat the dreaded Kampê, as the twenty-foot dragon-woman was quick and cunning. After hunting her down to Alcatraz, they attempted to catch her by surprise, but she sensed something wrong and engaged them in battle. Kampê quickly put them on the defensive, but Percy managed to summon the sea to aid them, before Annabeth froze Kampê within the seawater. After destroying her, they each pocketed one of her scimitars, dripping with a legendary poison that couldn't be found anywhere else.

As their presence grew, their stealth seemed to diminish. Although the gods still could not pinpoint their exact location, there were several instances where Annabeth could feel Hermes or Artemis within their immediate vicinity, following their scent. The gods may have been coordinated enough to find them even with the shielding of the helm, but their dispute hadn't ended since Zeus and Ares were deposed. Hera and Poseidon feuded over who should become the next ruler of Olympus, each with a serious claim to the throne. Hera insisted that as the Queen of the Heavens, she was the next in line, but Poseidon insisted that as he was more powerful, the throne belonged to him. This dispute mostly just annoyed the other gods, but it did make them very unorganized.

Annabeth and Percy continued hunting and destroying the worst monsters, collecting their venoms, hides, or any other mystical qualities about them, adding to their arsenal. She and Percy both knew without saying that they were mostly just biding time. Nonetheless, it did make Annabeth feel warm inside rescuing poor demigods and getting them to camp the way their parents should have been doing all along, or giving whatever divine blessings they were capable of to mortals.

Percy used his power over water to aid in the construction of wells, or to bring forth springs for less developed societies. He brought in scores of fish for coastal cities desperate for food, established advanced irrigation and purified poisonous water supplies, building on his legend as the Lifebringer. Annabeth, for her part, shared and taught the sciences of medicine, electricity, and industry, among other forms of knowledge, building her mystique as the Sage. They did great good, but still felt limited in their influence, as they were still not ready to take on the other gods, and it would not do well to attract their full attention just yet. Soon enough, however…

* * *

They made a return to Camp Half-Blood, 7 years after their original departure. The Fleece glinted on Thalia's pine, a dragon wrapped around the tree to protect it. Annabeth and Percy masked their presence as they usually did, especially considering that one of the Olympians was generally present at camp. However, they were surprised to find that Dionysus was not currently present. Annabeth surmised that their escape would likely be attributed to him, but she was unsure to what extent his new punishment would remove him from their endgame.

The camp was bustling with at least twice as many demigods as the last time she'd visited, no doubt due to the fact that she and Percy had actively been watching over them, taking out the stronger monsters in their path. Annabeth figured Grover was likely doing something similar for the Satyrs that sought out demigods, which helped too. The grounds were in amazing condition, and were mostly unchanged from what she remembered, except that all the cabins had campers, as if to prove that their heritage didn't separate them.

Dinner came, and as usual, the nymphs prepared their specialty barbecue. Many campers now chose not to stand and give a portion of their dinner in thanks, although a small few still did. It made Annabeth smile to see that many of these campers were thanking her and Percy for ensuring that they reached camp safely, and for protecting their friends.

Luke seemed to be directing things at camp. She was saddened to see that Chiron didn't seem to be present either, whether it was because the Olympians didn't trust him to handle things any longer, or because he saw how things were trending and wanted no part of it. She wasn't exactly surprised, though, as the Olympians merely doubled down on their worst habits as their offspring grew to resent them. Chiron would always train new heroes, but it seemed that he wouldn't do so under these conditions, and especially not to fight their parents.

To Annabeth's amazement, Thalia seemed to be organizing camp right alongside Luke. Her face quickly became hot with tears at the sight of her previously-dead friend. She dispelled her illusion, allowing herself to be seen. This likely wasn't the wisest option, but why be a god if you couldn't enjoy your eternal life?

She approached her old friends and threw her arms around Thalia, shocking her, though unfortunately this made Thalia shock her right back - literally.

Thalia was smiling at her. Percy walked up, clearly confused.

Annabeth said, "We have a lot to talk about,"


	3. Finale

Annabeth stood side by side with her faithful comrade, Percy, steeling herself for the battle that was to come. They stood at the front of Camp Half-Blood's Battalion, easily two hundred campers strong, even taking into account those who chose their loyalty to Olympus over their loyalty to humanity. It didn't matter. Her mother and many of the gods would surely be aware that at this point, she and Percy alone were powerful enough to take them on. The assistance of the campers was more of a morale crusher than anything, but the support was appreciated nonetheless.

Initial scrying on Annabeth's part showed her the entirety of their future battleground. It seemed that the Olympians had recruited the assistance of another camp they were not aware of, but even this would not tip the scales by her estimates. They were already well established and fortified, as the gods were likely unsure of exactly when the strike would come, though they could sense it was soon. Her next action would likely alert them that an invasion was commencing, but she wanted to minimize bloodshed until they seized control of the Underworld, too, so that they didn't end up in punishment somehow or even vanish completely while ownership changed.

Percy gathered the power of the Mist around him, creating a vast roiling cloud above them, hissing as it distorted the perception of reality. As the cloud coagulated above them, Annabeth focused it towards the city, channeling it to fill every inch of the island of Manhattan. The streets shimmered ominously as the silver fog descended upon them. Mortals would be compelled to calmly but quickly leave the area. They would also feel obligated to ensure that their less able-bodied acquaintances were given proper assistance in the evacuation.

Even with all their power, the effort was quite tiring for the two of them. Fortunately, they would have time to recuperate while the mortals fled the island, but during that time, the gods would likely return to mount their defense. She saw mortals already beginning to make their way off the island, and nature spirits were assisting in the evacuation. Grover had volunteered his legion of Satyrs and Dryads for assistance in the invasion, but Percy flatly refused to allow them to participate in the battle, since nature spirits did not have souls to recover from the Underworld. Instead, they would focus on containing the damage of the battle to come, as it was basically guaranteed to be catastrophic.

Within an hour, there were bright flashes of light, raw power filling the air, as the Olympians came back to defend their thrones, their seats of power. Annabeth fully admitted that she had a dangerous tendency for hubris, and even she was amazed at the sheer audacity of the gods. They were so confident in their power that they concentrated it in a vacuous hall built to their own glory. They were so concerned with their influence on their precious "Western Civilization" that they neglected the entire rest of human civilization. She would not repeat their mistake. She and Percy's power originated from _all _of mankind, not a small favored portion, and that was exactly why they would prevail, outnumbered or no.

She turned to face her brave companions, willing to put their lives on the line to change the world for the better. "Heroes! Friends! Today we march on Olympus! I know many of you harbor bitter feelings towards the Olympians, but I want you to remember that this fight is more than that. It's for a chance to change things, to put control of this world in the hands of humanity, and to let man decide his own fate! The abusive reign of the masters of the world will come to an end!"

The campers went into uproar, yelling out battle cries and voicing their solidarity. "My voice will be heard!" "You'll pay for your crimes, Olympus!" "You forgot about us, but we didn't forget about you!" "Eat my shorts!"

Percy smiled at the jubilee and went over the battle plan for the campers one last time. The campers weren't quite durable enough to stay in the thick of the action, so they would be playing support roles with ranged weapons and gadgets designed with a little help from Daedalus. They would have to keep the enemy demigods busy, too, but Percy reminded them not to kill them if they could help it. "They're our brothers and sisters, more pawns of the gods, they just haven't realized it yet," he said. He looked at Annabeth as he concluded his remarks, and they each held the gaze for just a moment. Finally, Annabeth looked back on the heroes, and yelled, "Onwards! To victory!"

* * *

Percy and Annabeth neared the Empire State Building, impressive fortifications barring the path for those who didn't have godlike abilities. They looked Roman if Annabeth wasn't mistaken, but that didn't concern her heavily at the moment. Before them stood the majority of the remaining Olympian gods. Only Apollo, Poseidon, and her mother were missing, which concerned her a fraction. Even Hades made an appearance, as he knew that if they took Olympus he'd have no chance of defending the Underworld.

Hera broke the silence first. "So, heroes, it's come to-" The campers didn't wait for her to finish, as several fist-sized spheres rolled between the two groups of gods. Hephaestus spewed white-hot fire at the spheres, attempting to melt the constructions, but this just sealed their fate. They exploded with extreme concussive force, nearly knocking Annabeth over. The Curse of Achilles didn't protect her ears or eyes from intense impairment, though these healed rapidly. It did, however, protect her from the Stygian Iron shrapnel now imbedded in the gods before her, slowly draining their essence.

Percy, with Riptide drawn, was almost immediately met by Artemis' blades. Hephaestus waved his hands in a signal before moving to assist, wielding some horrible amalgamation of a chainsaw and a battleaxe. At his command, an army of mechanoids burst through the ground, reaching for Annabeth. Hades began summoning an army of undead to supplement this, before charging Percy as well, wielding a Stygian Iron blade of his own, one that radiated dark power. Hermes, his caduceus set to laser mode, was firing rapid blasts of red-hot energy at Percy, who was quickly becoming taxed as the gods simultaneously targeted him. He was essentially immune to the slashes of their weapons, but the bludgeoning would still wear him out eventually.

Dionysus, Persephone, and Demeter combined their efforts to entangle both Percy and Annabeth, although Percy's status as Lifebringer caused him to overpower their control of the vines nearest him, turning on the Olympians he was engaged with. Annabeth wasn't so lucky. She dodged, wove, twirled, and released bursts of scorching air and flame to relieve the pressure, but she was still being overwhelmed quickly.

Greek fire, explosives, and heavy rocks were raining down upon the battlefield, as Camp Half-Blood assisted in the onslaught. Arrows bounced off of her and Percy harmlessly as the opposition attempted to find a weakness in the usurpers. A colossal tree a dozen feet thick sprouted on Annabeth's right before toppling down upon where the Olympians believed her to be. One of her illusions was smashed, shaking the earth as it smashed into the pavement and the side of a building.

Percy was a blur of motion, blades clashing at hundreds of miles an hour. The vines nearest him had picked up weapons of their own, and many of them were now strangling Artemis who could not cut through them fast enough. As rubble flew threw the air, many of these concrete chunks were given life of their own by Percy, moving to intercept the automaton army.

The undead had collected behind Hades and were preparing to charge forth and overrun Percy. Annabeth saw this, and after launching a barrage of Celestial Bronze cords from thin air to grapple Hera before she could interfere, Annabeth warped space around her until she hovered before the undead army. The head of the gorgon Medusa appeared spontaneously in her hand, instantly eradicating what she estimated to be 70% of Hades' undead forces.

Apollo began taking scorching potshots at her, the arrows becoming concentrated rays of sunlight itself. The impacts knocked her to the ground, the thermal energy scorching her body. The Curse of Achilles could only resist so much. She created a thin layer of extraordinarily condensed air around her skin, the circulation and pressure dampening further impact, and she flew at high speed to disrupt the support from Demeter and co. Massive spires of bamboo, grape vines, and other foliage emerged to block her path, but a wave of distortion tore through the air and many of the plants shriveled almost instantly. That sounded like one of Daedalus' weapons, an expanding sphere that rapidly grew to massive size until immense vacuum force shattered it apart. Speaking of Daedalus' weapons…

A massive metal army of statues created by Daedalus placed throughout New York marched down the street. Plan twenty-three. The statue army was about a third the size of Hephaestus' remaining metal army, but they charged forward with gusto, dogpiling Artemis as she continued struggling against the vines, completely surrounding her. Hephaestus paused to direct his army towards this new threat, giving Percy an opportunity. He donned Hades' Helm of Darkness (much to the fury of Hades), before eviscerating what remained of the Lord of the Undead's forces in seconds. As the Helm could make the user partially intangible, it mitigated some of the usual air resistance of his movement. In spite of this, Percy moved so quickly that, despite being invisible, he visibly glowed from the remaining friction with the air. He tore the sword out of Hades' hand before cleaving it through his body hundreds of times in under a second, launching the Lord of the Dead's body into the air, hurtling off into the Hudson River. She heard a plop that might have been Percy collapsing from exhaustion after expending so much power at once, but it may have been worth it to remove one of the two heaviest hitters early.

Annabeth summoned a mirror to deflect the arrows of Apollo at Hermes, who was knocked from his perch, his caduceus tumbling from his hand. She whirled to locate the Golden Archer before he could become a real pain, but as she did so she heard an alluring voice pleading for Percy to remove the Helm. He did so without question, Charmed by the goddess of beauty, hidden somewhere nearby.

Artemis blasted the statues off of her body, her fists gleaming with silver energy, her body covered with heavy scratches and bruises. Apollo's arrows began pummeling Percy, as Aphrodite coaxed him into surrender. Godly durability did nothing to shield his mind, to Annabeth's chagrin. Hephaestus summoned some horrible drill contraption that could pierce every point on Percy's body at once, overcoming their uncertainty about where his Achilles spot would be. As soon as he realized that Percy wore the Nemean Lion coat, they'd be hosed.

Before she had the chance to interfere, Hera was in her path once more, wielding what appeared to be massive wedding rings, solid hoops of Celestial Bronze. Demeter and Persephone had returned to battlefield control and Dionysus charged her. She had no time for this! Annabeth pulled out twin knives, coated with Kampê's poison. She clipped wire to the end of each with fluid grace before whirling them around her person. With a deep breath, she activated her own trump card.

Her perception increased a thousandfold, though her movement speed remained the same. She could feel every minor perturbation in the wind, in the structural integrity of the wire she wielded, in the flow of her enemy's movements. She perfectly calculated her dodges, bobs, and weaves, narrowly avoiding each of Apollo's arrows and Hermes' lasers, weaving the knives between Hera's massive hoop weapons, ducking under Hera's swings, and leaping over another.

She ended up to Hera's back, and rolled between her legs as she turned to swing, her hoops humming with fury. Hera swung one hoop down and another across, Annabeth backing up to avoid the swings. She continued the assault, crossing her arms, up, down, diagonally, with graceful form perfected over eons. Annabeth's poisonous knives continued nicking Hera gradually, punishing any exposed portion of her guard. Finally, Hera overstepped and Annabeth sprung the trap. The wires shrunk, tightening themselves around Hera, pinning her arms to her side, crushing her slowly. She unclipped her two knives and plunged them into Hera's eyes, before ducking under Dionysus' spear and tripping him, sprinting away to save Percy.

Despite her Intense Focus, Apollo's aim was impossible to avoid completely, and her left side stung with what felt like third degree sunburns. She was taking damage faster than she healed, and the pressure from Hermes' rapidfire was nearly too much, as foliage tripped her underfoot, breaking her Intense Focus trump card entirely. An automaton caught her in the temple and though the Curse of Achilles dulled the impact, she was thrown to the ground, enshrouded with vines. She began burning the vines away but knew she would have to endure a barrage of enemy projectiles before she broke free. To her surprise, however, neither Hermes nor Apollo were firing at her. She looked up to find Luke engaged in battle with a disarmed Hermes as Thalia fired lasers from Hermes' caduceus at Apollo.

Taking advantage of this turn of events, she blazed away the rest of the vines ensnaring her, toppling one of the massive trees right on top of the group around Percy, knowing he could take the damage. Hephaestus was crushed underneath along with Percy, though Artemis managed to dive away. Annabeth split portions of her power among five clones, severely weakening her even further. One clone began levitating and vanished from sight, scrying for Aphrodite, who was still murmuring to Percy. The remaining Annabeths magically dulled their own hearing, so they could tell who was talking but not what they were saying.

Dionysus had recovered, but was now engaged with a battalion of campers, who seemed to have a very personal beef with him. The Stygian Iron shrapnel had weakened the gods substantially by this point, which may have been why he wasn't just incinerating them through willpower. After summoning so many vines, too, he may not have even had enough strength by this point to enter his divine form, forcing him to engage the campers in melee with his spear. Upon seeing the campers enter the fight, the gods that did have the strength to enter a divine form did so, namely Apollo and Demeter. She hoped Thalia looked away for that. The unfortunate few campers who happened to gaze their way instantly evaporated, the rest concentrating on overwhelming Dionysus.

He speared dozens of them with glee, taking out his rage over his punishment with vindictive pleasure. It wasn't enough however, as he was peppered with support arrows and eventually defeated by their combined martial prowess, his spear broken and his body flayed alive. The Annabeth that was watching called out to the campers, telling them to leave the battlefield for their own safety. Cannonfire and explosives began raining down, as the enemy demigods moved on to heavier weaponry, seeing as their arrows were ineffective. Camp Half-Blood's own makeshift legion began to skirt the edges of the battlefield, making their way the tall stone fortification, taking cover where possible.

As all this was happening, the other four Annabeths faced off against Artemis and a now-freed Hephaestus. A sultry voice lurked in her ear but she could not discern what Aphrodite was saying, thankfully.

The first of the clones facing Artemis attempted to create a small sinkhole beneath Artemis' feet, but the goddess nimbly leapt away, firing blinding moonbeams from her bow with perfect accuracy even as she flew through the air. The Annabeth on the right stirred the air, twisting the barrage away as best as she was able. The air turned frigid and the patch of ground that Artemis landed on became ice, sending her tumbling.

She rapidly regained her balance but the left Annabeth had already created to halves of a rock dome to enclose the goddess of the moon. The two Annabeths superheated the air within, to near 3,000 degrees. Artemis screeched with pain, and in response many of the enemy demigods dove from their fortifications to assist. Annabeth noted that they were all dressed in the same silver. The Hunters. Great. She was immediately peppered once more with a barrage of arrows, many of which exploded or blinded her, allowing the goddess to break out of the rock tomb, now heavily battered. The Annabeth on the left sacrificed all of her remaining energy and with a shattering sound that could be heard from hundreds of miles away, every window in Manhattan broke, flowing to the site of battle. The remaining Annabeth piled this torrent of glass upon every Hunter in her sight, wincing as she violated Percy's request from earlier. It was more important that they succeed, for now.

Millions of pounds of glass swamped the battlefield, ravaging automatons, Hunters, gods, plantlife, and even nicking Annabeth's Achilles weakness through her armor, sending a jolt through her body. Clumsy, but she was significantly weakened. Artemis took note of this, and was about to shout to the other gods, but the moment that her mouth opened, Annabeth filled her gullet with razor-sharp glass, filling her body with sharp edges and deadly abrasions. Artemis collapsed soon after, glass poking out of every part of her body, and this Annabeth joined the others in the battle that was raging with Hephaestus.

The other two Annabeths had already weathered significant damage from Hephaestus who seemed to have hydraulic attachments to his body, speeding his movement tenfold. He was also coordinating his automatons to spew fire where they used ice, or to snap wires they conjured, or even tank damage where he couldn't. His drill machine was still whirring maliciously, and Percy approached it, finally free of the massive tree, Aphrodite still whispering in his ear, convincing him to kill himself (as much as a god of his caliber could really die, that is).

"Percy!" all three Annabeths cried, hurling lightning, acid, tearing the ground, and generally causing havoc. The three recombined into one, revitalizing Annabeth just a fraction. She pulled out a bronze bow staff, whirling it above her head and sprinting at Hephaestus. They both knew, of course, that Percy was the real goal here, so the automatons formed a blockade to get to him, Hephaestus throwing out all sorts of traps and hazards. A whirling blade net sailed below her as she carried herself over with a gust, only to have to flip below a swarm of birds. She flicked a small bolt that bounced between each of them, deactivating them all nearly simultaneously. A greek fire-coated tentacle slithered towards her, so she tore the earth up where the base of the trap stuck to, and flung it at Hephaestus, who sprung out of the way, firing rapidfire bronze bolts at her. They exploded when they touched anything, so Annabeth summoned a crystalline minefield, intercepting the missiles and launching fragmentation at the Lord of the Forge.

Percy had removed the Nemean Lion coat and was lowering himself into the drill machine. She wouldn't make it in time. She whipped up a gust to push him away but he used his own powers to fight the breeze, struggling to enter the machine. Her scrying self couldn't find anything, she just kept seeing Percy struggling to enter the machine next to the massive downed tree. Unless…

Annabeth dropped the bow staff and clapped both hands together, launching a massive jet of fire at the downed tree. Hephaestus intercepted it, redirecting the flames upward, but it told her all she needed to know. She picked up the staff and struck the trunk, focusing an intense sonic spell through her weapon. The tree rumbled with intensity, shattering apart and revealing the goddess Aphrodite within, who immediately entered her divine form so their support couldn't target her. Percy managed to wave of the charm for a moment, leaping away and attempting to clog his ears, but he was too slow, falling under her charm once more.

Annabeth didn't have much strength left from so many intense spells in a row, but she figured she had enough for one or two more, which should be plenty to get Percy back in the action. She shattered a good portion of the glass around her into fine dust, and called the winds to her aid once more, obscuring everyone's vision in a massive sandstorm. She dropped a dozen Lethe-dipped darts into the wind, towards Aphrodite and Hephaestus' positions, the winds dying down along with most of the rest of her strength. She breathed heavily as the dust cleared, choking some on the glass. Gods didn't exactly _need_ to breathe, but it certainly helped.

Demeter, no longer in divine form, was engaged in a fierce duel with Thalia, shield and spear vs. twin scythes. Hermes had been downed entirely by the duo (and the Stygian shrapnel, of course), though Luke also seemed to be down for the count. Hoping everything turned out okay, the scrier Annabeth rejoined the main Annabeth. At this point, she believed the extra power was more valuable than the information. She peered through the haze.

Percy came toward her, wearing the Nemean Lion coat once more. He smiled and said something she couldn't make out, as her ears were still clogged. His voice was so relieving to hear, and she blushed a little bit. She signed for their confirmation signal, and he looked confused, so she stabbed another Lethe-dart into his neck, where it sank in with satisfaction, "Percy's" eyes glazing over. Ugh. Love magic. Annabeth sighed and told Aphrodite she was her friend and to go wait at the Lotus Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for further instructions. Aphrodite popped away. She still had the Stygian Iron in her, which Annabeth would need to remove later, or Aphrodite might vanish into Tartarus entirely. And what a great shame that would be.

She made her way to where Percy actually was, to see him wailing on Hephaestus. He had a bronze shortsword and dagger, using the dagger for defense and to give himself openings with the shortsword. Hephaestus had his chainsaw-axe once again, though it was battered and no longer whirring angrily. Annabeth threw another Lethe dart into Hephaestus' side, but he actually seemed to have been prepared for such a thing. The Lethe evaporated before it struck him. It didn't matter, though, as Percy soon overpowered him, slicing him into three large pieces. That would take months to heal, if not more. She stretched her pointer and ring finger, and he answered with his pinky and thumb curling, letting her know to drop her magical muffling.

Their campers had overtaken the Roman fort, as the rank-and-file style was not well suited against guerilla warfare in such an urban setting. They were successfully restraining what remained of the enemy demigod forces. Percy re-equipped his lion coat before rushing over to assist Thalia. Hera had finally struggled free of the razor wire, but she was still blinded by Kampê's poison and was quickly downed by standard poison arrows from the remaining half-bloods. Apollo appeared in the middle of the campers, intending to incinerate them all from within out of desperation, but Annabeth unleashed a cold, dark cloud right on his position. He still glowed from within, but hopefully it would prevent him from boiling the other heroes instantly. She sighed and leaned against a tree, exhausted. Apollo was quite unprepared for her interference, and was cut down before he even fully comprehended what was going on.

The tree she rested her hand on quickly grew around her, sucking her arm and torso in and leeching her energy. She had none left for any area of effect magic, and she wasn't strong enough to teleport out or break free herself. She thought through her options quickly as the tree gradually surrounded her whole body. She hastily unsheathed Kampê's scimitar, lopping it into the tree. Her limbs weren't much stronger than a mortal's by now, but the blade was so sharp and the poison so acidic that the blade sunk in three or four inches, the poison seeping into the tree.

Persephone appeared behind her, wielding a glowing green shortsword, stabbing right toward her vital spot. She must have been watching her scuffle with Artemis. She contorted her body upward, the blade ricocheting off her invulnerable lower ribs. She flashed a brilliant light from her free hand, blinding Persephone, before drop-kicking her away. She landed painfully on her trapped shoulder, but the poison had damaged the tree enough that she could finally tear her arm free. She sheathed Kampê's blade, pulling out a shortsword of her own to face off with the Goddess of Springtime.

Persephone slashed in a high arc, so Annabeth sidestepped, stabbing towards the goddess. Persephone raised her hilt, Annabeth's blade skimming along her opponent's harmlessly off to the side, and Annabeth ducked under her next swing to sweep Persephone's ankles. Persephone stabbed down to deflect this, and Annabeth tried to capitalize with a simple swing from the right. Persephone held her blade vertically to deflect, but Annabeth changed her trajectory to hit Persephone's fingers, knocking the blade out of the goddess' grasp. Annabeth stomped forward to finish her off, but Persephone tripped her with a baby shrub at her feet.

Annabeth rolled to recover but Persephone had already retrieved her sword by then. They continued trading blows, Annabeth clearly being the superior swordfighter, but Persephone was fresher, and was manipulating the environment to her advantage. Annabeth just had to outlast her, as the shrapnel would continue to wear her down. Annabeth cut up, down, blocked, launched a riposte, tripped on more flowers, swore some, but she kept up a comfortable rhythm, and had seemingly unlimited stamina at the mortal level of strength. Eventually she landed a critical blow, plunging her shortsword straight into Persephone's shoulder. The Goddess of Springtime cried out, and Annabeth cleaved straight through her neck. That one would hurt for quite some time.

She jogged over to assist Percy and Thalia, but they were wrapping up by the time she reached them, Demeter collapsing in defeat from a spear to the chest. The battlefield was more or less still, as the remainder of the automatons were taken down by the campers.

Annabeth wiped sweat from her brow, almost entirely depleted of energy. She drank copiously from her nectar canteen, rejuvenating a bit of her strength, and she saw Percy doing the same. Some of the Apollo kids were tending to Luke, who seemed to be alive but injured, as he'd fallen from Hermes' perch atop a building. Several of the campers were clapping each other on the back or celebrating.

Annabeth smiled, but said. "It's not over yet guys. It's not over until we destroy their thrones." Several of them nodded solemnly, but couldn't hide their excitement. That is, until a mighty conch sounded, seemingly coming from all around them. Percy's ears perked up instantly, and he looked at Annabeth. They swore in unison.

"Get to the Empire State Building!" Thalia shouted, shoving kids towards the building two blocks down. They sprinted for the doors, Percy and Annabeth lagging behind, to make sure everyone went inside. A low, ominous rumbling echoed through the city. In the distance, buildings shook, some even tumbling down. A massive tide poured into sight, rushing in from all sides, Poseidon's Army riding at the crest. Amphitrite, Queen of the Seas, was on their left, Triton on their right. Poseidon rode in front and center, atop a carriage pulled by beautiful hippocampi. Annabeth floated up calmly, though she harbored major concern, landing on a ledge higher up to conserve power. Percy simply allowed the waves to crash into him, emerging standing on the surface of the water as if nothing had happened.

"Perseus," Poseidon bellowed.

"Father," Percy replied, steadily.

"You're no son of his!" Triton called out. Poseidon didn't correct him.

Poseidon's face contorted with rage and sadness. "After everything I've done for you? The very sword you wield against the Olympians was a gift from me! I just want to know… why?"

Percy's face flickered with some emotion. Annabeth said nothing, using the time to recover some of her own energy. She knew Percy would be revitalized by the ocean's power, and Poseidon was surely wasting energy holding it here. This was the ideal scenario barring Poseidon just up and surrendering. Despite this, she still couldn't help but feel sorry for Percy.

"Everything you just said…" He breathed in deeply and began shouting. "Give me a break! I'm supposed to like you because you give me stuff? Fatherhood is a whole lot more than doing me favors and expecting praise for it! How about caring for me? How about making sure I'm safe? Do you remember how many times I nearly died getting to camp for the first time? Do you remember all those years you left mom out to dry, married to that creep Gabe? Do you remember standing idly by and letting her die, caught up in yet another pointless squabble between your siblings? Did our lives mean anything to you?"

Water was churning around Percy in response to his anger. "You, the gods, who are supposed to be the caretakers of all mankind, couldn't be bothered to care for your own offspring? Maybe if you did even the bare minimum, I'd be concerned about what you think. But the reality is that you and your siblings are going to keep squabbling, keep wasting human lives, for pointless struggles that will have no bearing on your existence. Mankind is tired of it. I am the physical representation of man's frustration, and drive to make things right, whatever it takes."

He leveled his sword at Poseidon. "Whatever it takes." Poseidon raised his trident, and the three armies charged. The entire force of the ocean was about to collide with Percy, but he held his weapon steady, waiting for his chance to dive out of the way. The water continued churning around Percy, lapping out in splashes twenty feet high. Annabeth could physically feel the tension in the air, as control over the water resonated between Percy and Poseidon's army.

At the exact moment that the three armies nearly reached him, they dove upward, anticipating his leap into the air. They successfully destroyed his Mist illusion, while the Percy who had been wearing the Helm sucked all the water out from beneath the rising armies, creating a great swirling abyss below them. As they began falling back down, he reversed the direction of the water, spearing it upwards. The colossal water spike crashed into the army, Percy riding at its peak, weaving around the confused army, unable to see him. Annabeth rose with the spike, doing her best to follow Percy's lead, stirring thunderclouds into the air, electricity crackling between her fingers. The spike rose, rose, rose, beginning to falter as Poseidon realized what came next and attempting to pull away. It was futile, though. Percy reappeared within the clouds Annabeth summoned, the Master Bolt of Zeus clutched in his grasp.

He channeled the static energy Annabeth had been building up within the bolt. His skin steamed from the immense power coursing from him, lightning arcing off of his body. He screamed with pain and fury, hurling a mighty bolt into the massive spike of water. Annabeth's vision whited out entirely and she crashed into the side of the Empire State, the force of the blast obliterating everything around it. The lightning arced through the seawater, incinerating Poseidon's massive army of cyclops, mermen, and sea monstrosities. The energy was such that all of the seawater pulled into the city evaporated, mixing the smell of steam with the powerful scent of ozone. The shockwave seemed to be weak enough that it didn't topple the Empire State Building entirely, but lesser constructs weren't so lucky. Whatever street signs, lights, mailboxes and other fixtures that were left from the battles and from the seawater were blown away entirely. Trees were uprooted, roofs collapsed, and the streets were stripped of any loose asphalt.

Annabeth's ears were beyond ringing, they were utterly shaken apart, her eardrums destroyed, her innards jostled aggressively. She had no doubt that she had organ damage right now, so she was content to recuperate from the stone-angel she'd carved into the brick of the building. Her head had a terrible, pulsing headache, and she sucked in deep breaths as her body knit itself back together.

She opened her eyes once more but was still unable to see, cutting her off from the world. Any energy she had that could go to magic was instead being used to repair her injuries, leaving her essentially helpless.

One of her eyes began to clear, and she could see shades of gray and black. As the image cleared further, she looked down upon the carnage below, and saw a smoking crater where the celestial bronze portion of the bolt had sailed through, impacting the ground like a meteorite. Chiron had once said the bolt contained the energy of ten hydrogen bombs, and though she was sure mathematically that was not completely accurate, in the here and now, she certainly felt like it was.

Poseidon was the only member of his army who remained, even the divine Triton and Amphitrite reduced to smoldering ashes washed away in the wind and water, who would take centuries if not millennia to recuperate.

Percy hurtled from the sky, flailing in the air, before awkwardly slowing his descent with sporadic bursts of godly flight. He crashed into the pavement, surely suffering even more internal organ damage, though he had the Nemean Lion Skin in addition to the Curse of Achilles. He crawled out of his impact crater and attempted to stand tall, wincing as he did so. His entire body was scorched from using the Bolt, but his skin was gradually healing.

He leveled his sword at the equally-scorched Poseidon, who raised his trident in response. "It's over, Father."

Poseidon lowered his trident just as quickly as he'd raised it. "So it is." He collapsed to the ground, face-down. Their seats of power destroyed, the gods would fade into mortality. Perhaps they could be reintroduced into society as equals, rather than as superiors, someday.

Annabeth still hadn't recovered enough to use any of her abilities, so she called out with heavy irony, "I seem to be stuck up here. Oh, if only there were a hero here who could help a poor damsel in distress."

Percy called back, "I'm afraid we're fresh out."

* * *

Athena waited for them at the Bridge of Olympus.

"Mother," Annabeth said.

Athena smiled sadly. "Hello, Annabeth."

Percy looked at her quizzically. "Why didn't you join the battle? You honestly might have tipped the balance."

Athena frowned at him, as though he'd missed an answer on an important test. "Perhaps. I'm not so sure. However, victory can often be much more than who wins or loses a battle. Maybe... I recognized some truth in what you say. Even if the gods won this fight, we have already lost the faith of humanity, consciously or unconsciously. This was a battle of ideologies as much as it was a battle of power, and yours prevailed in the end..." A twinkle appeared in her stormy gray eyes. "Though, your clever tactics didn't hurt either." She winked at Annabeth. She continued. "We are bound by old oaths. Our ideology is stagnant, stale. You represent the chance for real change, and I believe mankind deserves that chance."

"That's very, er, humble of you, Athena," Percy said. "I wish that this could have gone differently, but for a lot of the gods…"

Athena nodded. "You must speak the language of the other if you hope to teach them anything. The language of the gods is power. I understand." Athena gazed out to regard the remnants of Manhattan.

She continued, "The history of man is full of strife and bloodshed. And while it is true, many crises were averted when diplomacy won out, there is one undeniable fact. Tyrants do not listen well to reason. They will struggle and bicker, and kick and scream until they have not one iota of power left, no matter how reasonable you are with them. Those who achieve power through might… there is only one option by which to depose them…" She regarded Annabeth and Percy once more. "The gods are no different."

Percy seemed conflicted, despite his earlier convictions. "But… all things considered, you _are_ being reasonable…"

Athena finally smiled. "Self-aware perhaps, but it is in our nature _not_ to be reasonable, at least in action. We swore many oaths as we took on our new roles. It was one of the first things I did as I emerged from the skull of Zeus. But you already knew this, didn't you?" Annabeth's stomach felt like molten lead, and she wasn't sure it was the organ damage.

Annabeth finally spoke, asking what she'd been wondering since the beginning of the conversation. "So, what now?"

Athena had one of her Lethe darts in her hand, though Annabeth wasn't sure when Athena grabbed it. "Now, there is peace," she said, before stabbing the dart into her hand. Her eyes glazed over, and she looked at the two of them with confusion. Annabeth wiped away a tear as she introduced herself to her mother.

* * *

Annabeth stood within the City of Olympus, largely untouched by the contest of power that had occurred below a few weeks prior. Percy was at her side, like usual. They'd already gained control of the Underworld, swiftly throwing out the previous judges of the dead. (King Minos? Seriously?) They'd already set up a system for which spirits might be judged worthy of returning to life, virtually all of which will be approved, though it will take quite a while to get through all the applicants. To those who chose to stay, all were pardoned from their punishments in the Fields of Punishment, though they were to be judged once more to determine whether they were now fit for entry to Elysium. Even this system would likely be replaced eventually, but it would work for now. Though the system was very busy and slow, it was something Annabeth could feel good about. Besides, it was a little more streamlined for… personal things (Sally Jackson came to mind).

Their job now was to make sure that "real life" (whatever that meant) was a place worth living in, and so they would imprison or destroy the worst monsters, clean up the messes that mankind tended to make, and do whatever it took to make the world better than it was before. The eternal goal. Maybe not perfect, but better.

Percy overlooked the ruined city of Manhattan with her, though it was under extensive repair. They did their best to explain the situation honestly to the mortal world, in spite of the Mist. Grover and his legion of loyal followers were assisting in repairing the damage to the parks and plants that had been obliterated by the conflict. Soon enough, in the name of Pan, he'd be leading mankind into an age of protecting and nurturing the environment, as it had nurtured them, a coexistence man hadn't experienced in millennia.

Percy bumped her shoulder with his. "Should we be worried about… well, becoming our parents? They hoarded all the power to themselves, but can we call ourselves any different?"

Annabeth thought about this, and bumped him back. "Maybe everyone should have a taste of godhood. Within reason, of course," she said, smiling. Her face became more serious. "I think, if we really do mess up… it'll be okay. The gods had predecessors, too, the Titans. The Titans came from the Protogenoi, who emerged from Chaos itself. Each generation was a little warmer, a little less bloodthirsty than the last. We're just the latest in the line of children taking the place of their parents. If the day comes that our children overthrow _us_, then, just maybe, it's for the better. Even if we lose the way, Humanity won't forget."

Percy gave her a look. "_Our_ children, eh?"

She rolled her eyes. "All that cosmic power and knowledge, and your head's still full of seaweed." She started walking away, back to the elevator and the mortal realm.

He called after her, "Hey, I'm being reasonable. Eternity's a long time, you know."

She smiled. It certainly is.


End file.
